Doctors Warn of Superbug Infection in Facelifts

CHICAGO, March 17 (Reuters) - A dangerous drug-resistant
bacterial infection has been showing up in a small number of
patients who undergo face-lifts, doctors reported on Monday.

When infections do occur at surgical sites following such
procedures "the facial plastic surgeon should have a high
suspicion" for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus), as the source, they said.

Dr. Richard Zoumalan of Lennox Hill-Manhattan Eye, Ear, and
Throat Hospital in New York and the New York University School
of Medicine and Dr. David Rosenberg also of the Lennox Hill
center said a review of 780 U.S. face-lift patients from 2001
to 2007 found five -- 0.6 percent -- with infections at
incision sites. Four were confirmed as MRSA, all in 2006.

Of the four, two patients appeared to have been exposed to
the bacteria before surgery -- one who had spent time with her
spouse in a cardiac intensive care unit four months earlier,
and another who had frequent contact with her brother-in-law, a
cardiologist, the report said.

As many as 1.5 percent of Americans carry the highly
contagious infection and may spread it to others without
developing a serious infection themselves. It was blamed for an
estimated 19,000 deaths in 2005 in the United States.

It has become the most common cause of all infections at
surgical incision sites, and about 85 percent of cases happen
in hospitals where the infection can kill the weak.

"It's not surprising that it has been found in cosmetic
surgery," Rosenberg said in an interview; adding that the study
was the first to confirm it.

He said follow-up research he and Zoumalan have done has
found no additional cases of MRSA in face-lift surgeries where
the skin was pre-treated to kill the bacteria.

Since people enter hospitals with the bacteria, he said,
"the emphasis has to be on pre-treatment."

The report published in the current issue of the Archives
of Facial Plastic Surgery said doctors who perform face-lifts
may want to start screening patients to track down those who
may be at risk.

"During preoperative evaluation, a full medical history
should include information on possible prior contacts with
persons at high risk for carrying MRSA," the study said.